Oct 10, 2014

Paris : the Louvre Museum

The Louvre, originally a royal palace but now the world's most famous museum, is a must-visit for anyone with a slight interest in art. Some of the museum's most celebrated works of art include the Mona Lisa and the Venus of Milo.

Your truly here was lucky to have visited it once before back in year 2000, 14 years ago...

The Louvre Museum is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. It is housed in the expansive Louvre Palace, in the heart of Paris.

Venus of Milo

The collection of the Louvre Museum started in the sixteenth century as the private collection of King Francis I. One of the works of art he purchased was the now famous Mona Lisa painting. The collection grew steadily thanks to donations and purchases by the kings. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the Louvre became a national art museum and the private royal collection opened to the public.

The museum has a collection of over one million works of art, of which about 35,000 are on display, spread out over three wings of the former palace. The museum has a diverse collection ranging from the Antiquity up to the mid-nineteenth century.

Some of the most famous works of art in the museum include Venus of Milo and of course Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

Here are some of the departments my friend Tajul whose whose photos I am using went to and what he saw.

I saw some of it a long time ago back in 2000, but just a bit as I had a limited time in Paris and was intend on visiting Disneyland, Versailles etc.. And sadly most my the pictures from back then are gone with frequent travel, relocation and films being spoiled.

Anyway the place has been renovated and looks even better now then when I was there... huhuhu

Enjoy the pictures and thank you, Tajul for allowing me to use your lovely photos....

Department of Near Eastern Antiquities (Sumerian works)The historical and geographical context of our collection spans a nine-thousand year period from prehistory to the early Islamic Period, and encompasses an area stretching from North Africa to the Indus Valley and Central Asia, and from the Black Sea (Anatolia) to the Arabian peninsula (as far as the Indian Ocean).

The Frieze of Lions, a decorative glazed-brick frieze from the first court of Darius I’s palace at Susa, is a declaration of royal power, here embodied in the king of beasts. In its iconography and composition, it was one of the most markedly Mesopotamian elements in this Persian palace.

Frieze of Lions

Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II, king of Sidon

Achaemenid Persian period, first quarter of 5th century BC

Necropolis of Magharat Abloun, Sidon, Lebanon

Department of Egyptian Antiquities

The Department of Egyptian Antiquities presents vestiges from the civilizations that developed in the Nile Valley from the late prehistoric era (c. 4000 BC) to the Christian period (4th century AD).

Apis Bull -Late Period, Thirtieth Dynasty, 378-341 BC

Saqqara, Serapeum

Reconstruction of a tomb from the eastern cemetery of Deir el-Medina (hill of Qurnet Murai)

Department of Sculptures

The rooms devoted to "modern" sculpture, opened in 1824, gradually became the Department of Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern Sculpture. Separate collections were founded in 1848 for antiquities and in 1893 for objets d'art.

Gosh I am a huge fan of Greek and medieval stories and myths... and this makes me step back into some of those myths I so enjoy...

Milon de Croton

Arria and Paetus

Venus

Seated Cupid (1757)

Augustin PAJOU (Paris, 1730 - Paris, 1809)

Psyche Abandoned

1790

Edme BOUCHARDON (Chaumont-en-Bassigny, 1698 - Paris, 1762)

Cupid Cutting His Bow from the Club of Hercules

1750

Jean-Antoine HOUDON (Versailles, 1741 - Paris, 1828)

Diana the Huntress

1790

A marble figure depicting Mercury as the Roman god of commerce, 1780, by Augustin Pajou; Mercury is shown with his winged cap and merchant's bag

Lambert-Sigisbert ADAM (Nancy, 1700 - Paris, 1759)

Neptune Calming the Waves

Provenance: confiscated during the Revolution from the collections of the Académie

Department of Paintings

The Department of Paintings reflects the encyclopedic scope of the Louvre, encompassing every European school from the 13th century to 1848. The collection is overseen by twelve curators, who are among the most renowned experts in their field.

Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, known as the Mona Lisa (theJoconde in French)

c. 1503–06

The rooms are so spacious, grand and lovely, just as they should be since the Louvre was once upon a time the home of the King of France, King Francis 1. You can imagine how it was back in those medieval times.....

Looking at these rooms and the beautiful ceiling and walls makes me marvel at the breathtaking beauty some people back a few centuries can create....Amazing isn't it...

After seeing these pictures and taking a stroll down memory lane, I feel that I want to return to Paris again ... Ah well, we will see, if I will have the opportunity or not , in the future....Que sera sera, what will be, will be...

The Louvre is open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Night opening until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays

Closed on the following holidays: January 1,May 1,December 25

Musée du Louvre, 75058 Paris - France

Métro: Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7)

Tel.: +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17

Paris Museum Pass

2-day pass: €424-day pass: €566-day pass: €69

Valid for individual visitors.

The Paris Museum Pass offers free admission (without waiting in line) to the permanent collections of more than 60 museums and monuments in and around Paris, including the Louvre.It is available at the Louvre's membership center (Espace Adhésion, Allée du Grand Louvre, under the Pyramid), participating museums and monuments, in metro stations and at the various branches of the Paris Tourist Office, including the Espace du Tourisme in the Carrousel du Louvre.